Outline Notes for M18 &19
MODULE 18 PREVIEW
Studies of hypnosis indicate that, although hypnotic
procedures may facilitate recall, the hypnotist’s beliefs
frequently work their way into subjects’ recollections.
Hypnosis can be at least temporarily therapeutic and has the
potential of bringing significant pain relief. Hypnosis may be
both an extension of normal principles of social influence
and of everyday splits in consciousness.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES
1. To explore the truth about hypnosis.
2. To discuss theories about whether hypnosis is an altered
state of consciousness.
MODULE GUIDE
Facts and Falsehoods
1.It is debated as to whether is an ASC (altered state of
consciousness)
2.
Hypnosis is a social interaction in which one person (the
hypnotist) suggests to another (the subject) that certain
perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will
spontaneously occur.
Afterward, subjects may experience posthypnotic amnesia
(supposed inablitity to recall what one experienced during
hypnosis due to suggestion).
2. uses of hypnosis
To some extent, nearly everyone is hypnotizable; however,
only 20 percent of us is highly hypnotizable.
Subjects have reported that under hypnosis they have relived
experiences from their childhood (age regression).
Although hypnotic procedures may help someone to recall
something, the hypnotist’s beliefs frequently work their way
into the subject’s recollections. Hypnotically refreshed
memories often combine fact w/ fiction.
Research indicates that hypnotized people cannot be made
to act against their will any more than nonhypnotized people
can.
Hypnosis can be at least temporarily therapeutic through
posthypnotic suggestion – suggestions made during
hypnosis and carried out after subject is no longer
hypnotized to control undesired symptoms/behaviors
Ex. Alleviate headaches, asthma, warts, smoking, nail biting
(Studies show their maybe no great benefits then other
methods, positive suggestion may work just as well, research
results vary)
Hypnotizable people can enjoy significant pain relief. One
explanation is that this occurs through dissociation, a split
between different levels of consciousness.
Is Hypnosis an Altered State of Consciousness?
3.
Some argue that hypnosis is a by-product of normal social
and cognitive processes and thus not a unique state of
consciousness. These skeptics note that behaviors produced
through hypnotic procedures can also be produced without
them. “Hypnotized” people may be acting the role of “good
hypnotic subjects” and allowing the hypnotist to direct their
fantasies.
Others believe that hypnosis is more than imaginative acting.
They note that hypnotized subjects sometimes carry out
suggested behaviors on cue, even when they believe no one
is watching them. Furthermore, they argue that certain
phenomena are unique to hypnosis, for example, the
reduction of pain and the compelling hallucinations.
The divided-consciousness theory of hypnosis argues that
hypnosis involves dissociation that is more extreme than the
everyday dissociations that occur in our information
processing. Hilgard suggests that a hidden observer
accounts for a hypnotized subject’s awareness of experiences
that go unreported during hypnosis.
MODULE 19 PREVIEW
Psychoactive drugs alter consciousness.
Depressants act by depressing neural functioning.
Although their effects are pleasurable, they impair
memory and self-awareness and may have other
physical consequences.
Stimulants act at the synapses by influencing the
brain’s neurotransmitters. Their effects depend on
dosage and the user’s personality and expectations.
Hallucinogens can distort judgment of time and can
alter sensations and perceptions.
About one-third of those who survive a brush with
death later recall visionary experiences. Some
scientists point out that such near-death experiences
closely parallel reports of hallucinations.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES
1. To identify the effects of various drugs.
2. To describe the near-death experience as compared to
experiences while under the influence of drugs.
MODULE GUIDE
Dependence and Addiction
1. nature of drug dependence, and identify some common
misconceptions about addiction.
Psychoactive drugs are chemicals that change
perceptions and moods. Continued use of a
psychoactive drug produces tolerance, and cessation
of use may produce the undesirable side effects of
withdrawal. The pain of withdrawal and intense
craving for a dose indicates a physical dependence.
People can also develop psychological dependence,
particularly for drugs used to relieve stress.
Many drug researchers believe the following three
myths about addiction are false: (1) Medical drugs, for
example, those used to control pain, are powerfully
addictive; (2) addictions cannot be overcome
voluntarily but only through treatment; and (3) we can
extend the concept of addiction to cover a whole
spectrum of repetitive, pleasure-seeking behaviors
such as overeating, exercise, gambling, sex, and
surfing the Internet.
Psychoactive Drugs
2. physiological and psychological effects of
depressants, stimulants, and
hallucinogens.
*Depressants such as alcohol, the barbiturates, and
the opiates- morphine & heroin, act by depressing
neural functioning. Each offers its own pleasures, but
at the cost of impaired memory and self-awareness or
other physical consequences.
Ex.
Alcohol slows the sympathetic nervous systems activity
Affects:
Judgement, memory, decreases REM sleep, selfawareness, attention, brain chemistry, etc.
Ex.
Use of opiates can cause the brain to stop producing it’s own
natural opiates (endorphins)
Withdrawal will be terrible since the brain will not have its
normal painkilling neurotransmitters
*Stimulants, such as caffeine, nicotine, and the more
powerful amphetamines and cocaine, act by
stimulating neural functioning. As with nearly all
psychoactive drugs, they act at the synapses by
influencing the brain’s neurotransmitters.
Stimulates can deplete the brains supply of
neurotransmitters (ex. dopamine, serotonin,
nerepinephrine ) &
Block reuptake of neurotransmitters
Increase heart, breathing blood sugar, & energy rates
their effects depend on dosage and the user’s
personality and expectations.
Ecstasy (MDMA) is both a stimulate & hallucinogen
*Hallucinogens, such as LSD and marijuana (with
THC), can distort the user’s judgments of time and,
depending on the setting, can alter sensations and
perceptions.
Ex. LSD mimics and therefore block neurotransmitters like
serotonin
Ex. Marijuana – THC sensitive receptors in the frontal lobe,
limbic system, motor cortex
The brain as natural pain killers
SEE . 295 Chart is excellent
Influences on Drug Use
3. factors that contribute to drug use
Drug use among teenagers and young adults
decreased during the 1980s, as attitudes changed, and
began a rebound during the mid-1990s. One
psychological factor that contributes to drug use is the
feeling that one’s life is meaningless and directionless.
Studies reveal that heavy drug users often have
experienced significant stress or failure and are
depressed. In addition, social factors such as peer
pressure may lead people, especially teenagers, to
experiment with—and become dependent on—drugs.
Some people also seem to have a greater biological
susceptibility to dependence on drugs.
4. (Close-Up) Describe the near-death experience and
the controversy over whether it provides evidence for a
mind-body dualism.
About one-third of those who have survived a brush
with death later recall near-death experiences. These
experiences are marked by out-of-body sensations,
visions of tunnels and bright lights, and intense feelings
of joy, love, and peace. Dualists, who believe the mind
and body are two distinct entities, interpret these
experiences as evidence of human immortality.
Monists, who presume the mind and body are different
aspects of the same thing, point out that reports of
such experiences closely parallel reports of
hallucinations.
Lecture/Discussion Topic: Caffeine—
Caffeine is perhaps the most popular, as well as one of the most
ancient, drugs. Nearly everyone ingests this drug every day in the
form of coffee, tea, cocoa, soft drinks, or headache remedies. The
drug occurs naturally in more than 60 plants and trees that have
been cultivated by humans since the beginning of recorded history.
Caffeine is one of the methylxanthines that stimulate certain
neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. It can temporarily
increase heart rate, metabolism, and stomach-acid secretion. In
addition, it dilates some blood vessels and constricts others, it
wards off drowsiness, and it increases alertness. Research has
indicated that caffeine shortens reaction time but has little effect on
verbal fluency, numerical reasoning, or short-term memory.
Although some researchers have claimed that caffeine may
enhance an athlete’s endurance, evidence is inconclusive. Caffeine
can produce trembling, chronic muscle tension, throbbing
headaches, depression, and insomnia, depending on weight and
physical condition, as well as the amount consumed.
Lecture/Discussion Topic: Rohypnol—A Date Rape Drug
Estimated to be seven to ten times more potent than valium,
Rohypnol produces profound, prolonged sedation, a feeling of
well-being, and short-term memory loss.
Legally prescribed in England and 26 other countries for
insomnia and as a preoperative anesthetic, it has never been
approved for use in the United States. However, in the mid-1990s
it became increasingly popular among U.S. teens and young adults
as a “party drug.” Tasteless, odorless, and colorless, it became a
tool of predators who spike the drinks of unsuspecting young
women and then rape them. The drug causes sedation within 15
minutes and the effects are boosted further by alcohol or
marijuana. In some cases women report passing out and awakening
briefly to find themselves being sexually assaulted. In other cases,
they have no memory of being raped, although there is
evidence of it. There seems to be a common thread of “I can’t
remember what happened to me.”
helpful guidelines for young women to protect themselves from
date rape drugs:
1. Don’t drink a beverage you did not open yourself.
2. Don’t exchange or share drinks with anyone.
3. Don’t accept a drink from a punch bowl.
4. Don’t drink from a container that’s being passed around.
5. Don’t leave your drink unattended.
6. Don’t drink anything that has an unusual taste or appearance.
7. If someone orders you a drink from a bar, accompany the
person who orders the drink and watch it being poured. Carry
the drink yourself.